Women's Tennis

Women's Tennis Tops Eastern Washington 5-2, Now 6-0 in Big Sky

Apr 10, 2010

CHENEY, Wash. – Northern Arizona improved to 6-0 in the
Big Sky and clinched at least a second-place finish in the
conference with a 5-2 victory over Eastern Washington on Saturday
morning in Cheney. The Lumberjacks, who rallied from first-set
losses to win three singles matches, kept pace with undefeated
Sacramento State atop the Big Sky standings and improved to 11-5
overall while Eastern Washington dropped to 10-9 overall and 4-3 in
conference play.

If the Lumberjacks can defeat winless Portland State on Monday,
they will equal Sacramento State at 7-0 in conference play. The two
teams will meet next Saturday in Flagstaff to conclude the regular
season.

In Saturday's match, NAU shuffled its doubles lineup with junior
Orsi Golovics still sidelined with an ankle injury and picked up a
pair of victories to claim the doubles point. Junior Aimee Oki and
freshman Nicole Perez picked up an 8-6 win at No. 2 after NAU
dropped a match at No. 1. Junior Edit Suhajda paired with freshman
Malia Wahinepio for the first time this season and the duo claimed
an 8-2 win at No. 3 to give the Lumberjacks the early lead.

Singles play was extremely competitive, with five of six matches
going three sets. Suhajda rallied for a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 win over
Cailtlin Bampton at No. 1, while Oki earned her first-career win at
No. 2 in a 1-6, 6-3, 6-0 decision. Wahinepio also rallied back from
a first-set loss in a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory at No. 3 and Perez
concluded the NAU scoring with a three-set win at No. 5. Junior
Yumi Hasegawa played at No. 4 for the first time this season but
dropped a 5-7, 6-3, 7-5 decision to EWU's Chelsea Patton to end an
11-match winning streak.

The Lumberjacks will continue their road trip on Sunday with a
non-conference match at Gonzaga at 3 p.m.

DID YOU KNOW…Two senior
student-athletes were among the 37 students recognized with the
prestigious Golden Axe in 2009 for their achievements. The
recipients include Maria Hechanova (Women’s Swimming) and Ali
Carter (Women’s Golf).